Xie Daoqing

Xie Daoqing (1210-1283) was Empress of Song China from 1227 to 1264 and Empress Dowager from 1264 to 1276.

Biography
Xie Daoqing came from a family of Song court officials, and she was selected as the spouse and empress of Emperor Lizong of Song. In 1264, her husband died and his nephew became Emperor Duzong of Song, and Xie Daoqing briefly served as his regent. In 1274, Duzong's four-year-old son was enthroned as Emperor Gong of Song, and Xie Daoqing again became regent. After Chancellor Jia Sidao was defeated in his attempt to lift the Siege of Xiangyang, Xie Daoqing had him banished and assassinated, and she, her abdicated grandnephew, and the imperial princes were stripped of their titles but awarded tax-free property in Beijing, where they settled. Xie Daoqing died in 1283 at the age of 73.